Podcast

Podcast 452: The Great First Listen (21 mins.)
A selection of stories, plus a mystery, as recorded and shared by people across the country during The Inaugural Great Thanksgiving Listen.

Videos

About The Great Thanksgiving Listen

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The Great Thanksgiving Listen from StoryCorps & Google (1 min.)
An introduction to The Great Listen,
created in partnership with Google
in 2015, featuring David Hyde Pierce.

Dave Isay’s 2016 TED Talk (8 min.)
Get inspired when our founder shares what
happened when StoryCorps invited students
to record during the inaugural Great Thanksgiving Listen.

Dave Isay’s 2015 TED Talk (22 min.)
The TED Talk that sparked a movement.
Hear our founder’s vision to take StoryCorps
global and about the launch of the app.

StoryCorps Classics

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“An Intro to StoryCorps” (3 min.)
Learn more about StoryCorps in this conversation between StoryCorps Founder Dave Isay and his nephew.

“No More Questions” (4 min.)
Timeless wisdom from Kay Wang, a
strong-willed grandmother who shares stories
with her son and granddaughter.

“Eyes on the Stars” (3 min.)
A remembrance of NASA astronaut Ronald E. McNair,
who followed his childhood dreams to become the
second African-American to enter space.

“Clean Streets” (3 min.)
Sanitation workers Angelo Bruno and Eddie Nieves
reflect on their years of working together
and what they learned on the job.

“The Icing on the Cake” (3 min.)
Blanca Alvarez in conversation with her daughter,
Connie, about hardship their family faced and the
lessons learned when they came to the U.S.

Further Inspiration

Watch these intergenerational animated stories in your classroom as inspiration leading up to Thanksgiving, or invite your students to watch and share a story with the person they are going to interview.

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“The Temple of Knowledge” (2.5 min.)
Growing up, Ronald Clark spent every night in
a library with his father, who worked as a custodian
at the New York Public Library.

“My Father, The Giant” (2 min.)
Kiamichi-tet Williams learns about his grandfather,
Melford, who was a tribal leader for the Caddo Nation
in Oklahoma.

“Detective Simmons” (3 min.)
Camaran Henson grew up thinking his grandfather
possessed superpowers. He remembers large and small
ways the man lived up to his legendary status.

“Mi Abuela Panchita” (2 min.)
A San Antonio bishop believes he is his family’s
dispenser of spiritual wisdom. He is reminded
by his abuelita that there are some things only elders can grasp.

“Silvia’s Legacy” (2.5 min.)
In the 1950s, Ellaraino travels to the Louisiana
log cabin of her elderly great-grandmother, gaining
a new perspective on what it means to be free.

All About Interviewing

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Q & A (3 min.)
12–year–old Joshua, who has Asperger’s syndrome,
interviews his mother, and they cover everything from
cockroaches to Sarah’s feelings about Joshua as a son.

Four Tips for an Effective Interview (5 min.)
How to ask open-ended questions that help
you guide your subject through personal
stories and share in a great conversation.

Tips for Active Listening (4:30 min.)
Tips from StoryCorps on how both
people—interviewer and interviewee—can
contribute to having a great conversation.

The StoryCorps App: A Recipe for Success (1 min.)
Ingredients for The Great Thanksgiving Listen:
a quiet place, you, someone you love, and
the StoryCorps App.